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September 12, 2016

Stephanie DeLuca - Coming of Age in the Other America

"An Identity Project is a source of meaning that provides a strong sense of self and is linked to concrete activities to which youth commit themselves.”

There was a packed house at the last Full Circle meeting of the 2015/16 year, for speakers Thomasina L. Hiers, the Executive Director of Baltimore’s Promise (BP) and Tom Wilcox, President/CEO of the Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF), of which the BWGC is one of 800 funds.

The second BWGC CircleWorks volunteer day took place on April 16. On a beautiful sunny spring day, we held a party for the children who participate in the CHIP program of our grantee Alternative Directions. These children, ages 6 to 14, have parents who are incarcerated and CHIP provides them with mentors and a variety of activities. Our party, with the theme of "Power in the Heart," was their April activity.

What better reflection of a successful program is there than a request for more?

Following the enthusiastic response to his presentation at December’s Full Circle Meeting, Fagan Harris, Co-founder and CEO of Baltimore Corps, and three of his team met with nearly 50 BWGC members at Church of the Redeemer on April 27, for Circle Forum. After being introduced by Christine Sellers, Head of Development and Fagan’s self-described “right arm,” Fagan explained the history and mission of Baltimore Corps and the selection process and placement of the 34 talented Fellows.

On May 3 Grantee Connect brought 54 grantee alums together with panelist Kelly Hodge-Williams, Executive Director of Business Volunteers Maryland, and Rob English, Executive Director of BUILD, to consider the importance of listening - to clients, volunteers, donors, friends and importantly those who may not understand what you do.

BWGC members and guests gathered at the Church of the Redeemer on May 18 to hear a “legislative update” from Delegate Maggie McIntosh, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the House of Delegates. She represents the 43rd district in Baltimore City. Sue Talbott, Co-Chair of the Education Committee and Susan Anderson, the newly appointed Co-Chair of Circle Advocacy, introduced Delegate McIntosh.

Maggie began by saying “we live in interesting times.” She referred to the positive response by the Legislature and the Baltimore delegation to the uprising last April. She explained that a lack of opportunity, safety, good schools and good housing were central to the uprising. She then described the 19 bills that came from the legislature in response to these needs.

Fifty-three members gathered on the evening of May 5 to discuss Ta-Nehisi Coates’s recent memoir, Between the World and Me. Described by Toni Morrison as“required reading” for all Americans, the book has garnered considerable critical attention, winning the 2015 National Book Award for Non-Fiction and a place on the NY Times best seller list for over forty weeks. It led to a MacArthur Fellowship for the author, a Baltimore native. We chose this book because of our need for a greater understanding of the lives of young black men in Baltimore in the wake of the unrest in spring 2015.